When people speak of being “spiritual but not religious,” what does that
really mean? The truth is that increasing numbers of people in our society are
neither religious nor spiritual. The “spirituality” people speak of is often more
of a vague aspiration than a reality in their lives.
Spirituality needs a quiet mind, and in a world full of distractions,
organized religion is needed to preserve holy spaces – sanctuaries set apart
from the hubbub of the world, in which spirituality can grow and blossom.
Church teachings create a quiet place in the mind, and church buildings
create quiet spaces in the world which are conducive to spiritual thought and
inspiration.
We don’t have to choose between spirituality and organized religion—we
can have spirituality within organized religion. This is the New Jerusalem: a
“city” (emblematic of organization) which is “holy” because the Tree of Life
grows in the midst of it. (Revelation 21:2; 22:2) It is a good picture of the
complexity of modern life, but without its confusion, because it is organized
by and around love of the Lord, knowledge of His Word, and trust in His
providence.
Our own, inner spirituality is primary, but in addition, church organizations
are needed for there to be an outward, visible presence of the Divine in earthly
societies. Individual spirituality finds fulfillment by joining with others in a
community of religious practice and shared uses.
Being spiritual without organized religion is possible, of course, but it
is like trying to be civic-minded while all alone on a desert island. It is like
education without schools, medicine without hospitals, drama without
theaters, sports without arenas, music without orchestras. A church is the
natural development of spirituality as an orchestra is of music.
All perception, all knowledge, all belief—spiritual and natural—has
inherent in it a need to be shared with others and expressed in forms of use.
Those who love and see the presence of the Divine in their lives and in the
world naturally want to find and join (or if necessary, form) a community of
like-minded persons with whom to share their faith.
This is why there are so many publications, classes and retreat centers
designed to facilitate spiritual community. These things, whether they’re
labeled “spiritual” or “religious,” or are associated with an ashram or a church,
require organization.
It is sad for “spirituality” and “religion” to be seen as opposed, and even
sadder when they actually are opposed—which happens when spirituality
turns away from the world and becomes just mystical, or when religion loses
its spirituality and becomes just external religiosity.
Human beings are social creatures, and just as individuals need to be
fed and stimulated and delighted spiritually, so does a society as a whole. A
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